


That's Amore

by ZDcookie_996



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Claire's Last Day at Williams, Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Monza 2020, Nicky does a speech, Sleepy Cuddles, The icing on the cake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:20:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26357860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZDcookie_996/pseuds/ZDcookie_996
Summary: Nicky knows he's going to take the attention away from Claire but he has to propose this weekend, he has to.
Relationships: Nicholas Latifi/George Russell
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	That's Amore

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I hadn't anticipated writing another Nicky/George story so soon but this idea came into my head and it wouldn't leave me alone. It's such a shame that Claire is going to be leaving F1 so I have this story dedicated to her as well as Nicky and George. A little summary here, this story is focused on Monza and Nicky realising how much he loves George and how much Claire means to the couple that Nicky is adamant he has to propose with Claire as a witness. As I said, I have a few ideas planned for Nicky/George stories but I doubt that the next story I write will be about this pair. This is becoming a slight obsession! Please stop me! Hope you all enjoy and I hope everyone has recovered after Monza!

Nicky knew that in some ways this wasn’t the right time and yet it was. He knew that this day belonged to Claire and her family but he knew that the time was right. He just couldn’t wait any longer. The team had gathered together that morning before the race and Claire was presented with her gift and there were speeches as well as the final team photo. Nicky knew he couldn’t do it there. It wasn’t fair on Claire, he didn’t want the moment to be taken away from her given how much she had been a part of the team. The plan came into motion after Claire had told George and Nicky that she would be leaving after Monza. Everyone was shocked. Nicky thought that maybe she would leave after the 2020 season but she was leaving sooner than people expected. Whilst he listened to George talk about Claire, he knew that he wanted Claire to be a part of something special because she meant so much to him and to George. It was at that moment that Nicky was determined that at some point over the race weekend, he was going to propose to George. 

It wasn’t the first time that Nicky had considered proposing to his boyfriend. In between practices or any time he wasn’t with George and he was alone in his driver’s room, he would hold the black box that held an engagement ring as he thought about the ways in which he could propose. 

When he heard the news that Claire would be leaving, he knew he had to do it before they left Monza. He had wanted to do something privately but knowing that Claire wasn’t going to be at races or possibly see the rise of the team or be involved, Nicky knew he could make this weekend even more special, although it would mean taking the limelight away from Claire. 

Claire was so supportive to both George and Nicky when they told her they were dating and so it gave them the confidence to not just come out to their team but to the media and F1 world as well. They weren’t fighting for championships, never mind podiums so Claire had no issues with their relationship as their main priority was to get Williams up in the fight alongside their rivals. Everyone got along with the two drivers as George was now in his second year at Williams and Nicky had been their reserve driver before getting promoted to F1 driver. 

Nicky hadn’t told anyone in the team about his plans to propose. He had told his family a while back and they were so excited although he hadn’t actually proposed yet. He had also told George’s family, mainly because he asked George’s parents before he bought the ring as he wanted to make sure they were happy for him to marry their son. Alison had cried when Nicky had revealed his plans. She knew that George loved the Canadian and he in turn adored her son so she had no hesitation in giving her blessing. Steve just pulled Nicky into a tight hug and thanked him for making his son happy and he too gave his blessing. Nicky always smiled when he thought back upon the reactions from his parents and George’s parents. He couldn’t wait to propose. He just had to wait a little bit longer. 

When the team had met on the morning before the race, Nicky didn’t have the ring on him as he knew that this was about Claire and she deserved her moment. The rest of the morning was focused on the race. 

Nicky had been enjoying his time standing next to George where they would conduct interviews with all the drivers, one team at a time, as a replacement for the drivers’ parade which couldn’t go ahead due to the current circumstances. The mechanics had been known to take the mickey out of the interview and cause havoc behind the scenes but on this occasion they had their ‘spare pit stop man’ holding out a thank you sign for Sir Frank and Claire as they interrupted their drivers. Nicky was just thankful to get a bit of time with George, engaging in their normal banter about who was going to beat who considering they were both going to be on the same row of the grid. 

Claire was allowed to start up George’s car and waved Nicky ahead to go to the grid. He went onto the radio straight away to tell her what a good job she had done as she didn’t usually do it as she was on the pit wall.

It was emotional for everyone at Williams, before and after the race. They could have had points. Nicky finished P11 and George was P14. The good thing was though that things were improving and it was a shame that Claire and Sir Frank were no longer going to be a part of it. Nicky gave his own little message to Claire on the radio after the race, unaware that his boyfriend did the same thing. They both thanked Claire for giving them the opportunity in the sport and for her support, wishing her well for the future. 

When the interviews were done, the team were able to celebrate their last time with Claire with a drink in the Williams motorhome. As Nicky watched George mingle with members of their team, he knew that he had to do it now. There was a voice inside of him telling him that this was the moment and perhaps Claire wouldn’t be too upset with him for making this about him and George as it would hopefully be a nice surprise. He sneaked off quietly to his room and grabbed the box which was hiding away in his cupboard and hid it in his back pocket. When he returned, he looked around the room and was happy to see everyone enjoying themselves, knowing that changes were going to take over at the next race and things were going to be different but changing for the better too. He knew he was stalling. It had to be done. This was it. He wanted to do this in front of Claire mainly because she meant so much to both him and George and she deserved a final parting gift. He knew that people would be heading back to the hotel but he wanted the team to be a part of this. They deserved it after all their support and George deserved something special too. He took his mask off before placing it in the back pocket of his jeans. He then grabbed a drink from the bar and took a spoon before hitting the spoon against the glass so that he could gain everyone’s attention. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the room grew silent and everyone was focused on Nicky. He put the glass and spoon back on the counter and cleared his throat before turning his attention to his team.

“Thanks guys. I just want to say a final thank you to Claire for everything. I know that I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for her and for Sir Frank and I’ll be very grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me and I hope I can say on behalf of the team, thank you for everything. You are so special to this sport and we are so grateful for your love and support. We wish you well in the future. We hope you will be thinking about us as we move forward into a new chapter but we want you to know that you’ll always be with us and we thank you for everything. We will do everything to push Williams onwards and upwards. I ask that everyone raise a toast to Sir Frank and to Claire. We are Williams.”

Claire thought that she had done enough crying for the day but Nicky’s speech left her with tears in her eyes as her team applauded. She went over and pulled Nicky into a hug before kissing his cheek and tearfully thanked him. What she didn’t know was that Nicky wasn’t finished yet. He cleared his throat again before anyone could start talking again.

“I also have to apologise in advance for this because I don’t want to take the limelight from you, Claire, but hopefully you’ll be happy with this.” Nicky started.

Claire frowned and it wasn’t until she saw Nicky looking around the room that she had an idea of who he was looking for.

“Where’s George?” Asked Nicky as his eyes scanned the room.

There were whispers going around the room, people obviously wanted to know what was going on as George found himself in front of everyone and in front of his boyfriend. Nicky smiled at him as he swallowed nervously. He then held both of George's hands before looking over at Claire. 

"I really am sorry that I'm taking the attention away from you, Claire. I have to do this though because it feels right. You mean so much to me and to George and I want you to be a part of it."

There were murmurs floating around the room as people were confused about what was happening but Nicky was focused on George who was frowning at him. 

"George, you mean everything to me and I'm so grateful that I get to ride on this journey with you and I get to be on the other side of the garage in the same team. You're funny, you're kind and you are the most competitive person I've ever met."

Laughter filled the room but Nicky was far from finished. 

"You are a winner and you deserve podiums and wins and I can only hope that you will get these things because you deserve them. You are such a hard worker and you have been pushing that car over its limit so whilst I hope you get points, just remember that I want some too."

Everyone laughed again, including George and Nicky was desperate to rip the mask off his boyfriend's face to see his smile but he could tell that George was happy. His hands were sweating so much as he held onto George's hands but he was nearly there. 

"George, I've loved making memories with you and I can only hope that we can create more. I was going to do this privately but after finding out that Claire would be leaving, I knew I wanted her to be involved in this, I wanted her to see this because she's been so supportive of us since day 1 and she's given us our opportunity in the sport. Claire, I can't thank you enough for your support which is why I hope you won't kill me for this because I'm about to take the spotlight away from you."

Nicky went down on one knee, still holding onto George's hands as gasps took over the room. Tears were now streaming down Claire's face and Nicky could see that George wasn't far behind. 

"George William Russell." Nicky paused for a moment as he let go of one of George's hands to reach into his back pocket as he pulled out the black box. He carefully opened it up with one hand and held it up in front of George who was now wiping away tears. He gazed up at George as his boyfriend tearfully looked down at him. 

"Will you marry me?" 

George nodded frantically and sniffed. 

"Yes, Nicky! Of course, I will." He replied tearfully. 

The room erupted with cheers and applause whilst many of the female members of the team were crying as George was. 

Nicky smiled brightly before he put the box carefully down on the floor then pulled the ring out and gently placed it on George's finger. He placed the box in his back pocket then jumped up on his feet as he pulled George into his arms as the brunette sobbed. He pulled back after a moment then pulled George's mask down so he could kiss his fiancé. The cheers got louder but Nicky was only focused on George. When the kiss ended, George buried his head into Nicky's neck, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. 

Claire was the first person to congratulate the couple as she rushed forward to wrap her arms around her drivers, rubbing a hand up and down George’s back as he sobbed into Nicky’s neck due to how happy he was. 

“I am sorry for doing this now but it felt like the right moment.” Nicky apologised again.

Claire shook her head fondly as she gave the Canadian another kiss.

“Don’t be silly, I’m really glad I could be a part of it. I wish you all the best for the future and I’ll be expecting an invite in the post.” She teased.

Nicky grinned at her as she moved away to let other team members pull both Nicky and George into hugs and congratulate them. 

Claire couldn’t be annoyed with Nicky. It was just the icing on the cake and as she watched George smile brightly, tears long gone as he wrapped an arm around Nicky’s waist as the Canadian held on to him in turn as they chatted to Sophie, she knew that they were going to be alright and that the team would keep powering on. They would get there.

That night when Nicky and George got back to the hotel, they were cuddled up in bed and George was asleep. He was cuddled into Nicky’s side with his left hand on the Canadian’s chest, the engagement ring out on show and Nicky couldn’t get enough. He traced his fingers over the ring which was silver on the outside and gold on the inside and it was Paisley patterned. George stirred and Nicky held his breath, hoping that he would fall back to sleep and settle down. Eventually, the brunette sighed and didn’t move again which made Nicky relax. He couldn’t believe he had a fiancé. He was going to marry George. Whilst there was a part of him that was always going to feel guilty about proposing on Claire’s last day at Williams, in some ways he knew it was right to do it in front of the team and Claire, to show how much their support and love meant to Nicky and to George. All that was left to do was to inform both Nicky’s family and George’s family about the engagement but that could wait. Sleep was fast approaching and Nicky was content to just hold his fiancé in his arms. He placed a tender kiss on George’s temple before he let out a soft sigh and he too fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be nice to leave a link to the page with the ring that Nicky proposes to George with:
> 
> https://www.theknot.com/content/male-engagement-rings
> 
> The ring is under the heading: Men's Rose Gold Engagement Ring


End file.
